Process of preparing footwear



21 1 2 June 9 7 w. J. DE wlT-r PROCESS OF PREPARING FOOTWEAR 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 1G v v 1,633,075 June 2l 192.7" w. J. DE WITT PROCESS OF PREPARING FOOTWEAR Filed June 165,v 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 21 1927. June w. J. DE WITT PROCESS OF PREPARING FOOTWEAR Filed June le, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 21, 1927.

UNITED- sTA'n-:s PATENT OFFICE.l

WILLIAM J'. DE WITT, 0F AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHOE FORM ('10,.`

ING., OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PROCESS or PREPABING FOOTWEAR.

Application led June 16, 1925. Serial No. 87,485.

This invention pertains to foot wear and relates more particularly'to a process of preparing boots, shoes, etc.

The curved contour of a finished shoe may i be considered as constituting the surface of a solid of three dimensions and since the parts making up the shoe are cut from sheet material it follows that these parts, during the process of making the shoe, must be stretched or shrunken to make them assume the desired curved contour. The parts of the shoe are made to take the desired shape by stretching them tightly over a solid wooden last and great care is used in shaping the last with a view to obtaining a shoe of the eXac-t design desired.

After the shoe upper has been stretched over the last it should be allowed to remain upon the last for as long a period aspos- 2 sible before removal of the last in order that the material may set and retain its newly acquired shapeand if the material has been dampened at all durin the process itshould become substantially ry upon the last before the latter is removed. The exigencies of manufacture necessitate rapid transfer of the shoe from one stage of the process to the next, but in acordance with some processes certain steps can not be performed while the last remains in the shoe, and in any case, if the last be left in the shoe throughout a substantial part of theV entire process, it is necessary for the manufacturer to provide himself with a great number of lasts with a corresponding large investment of capital.

In those processes of manufacture in 4 which 'it is necessary-to remove the last prior to the performance of certain steps of the process, the removal and subsequent restoration of the last consumes time and labor and frequently damages the shoe thus adding materially to manufacturing costs while the performance of those steps in the process which must be done in the absence of the last frequently results in so distorting the shoe that no subsequent re-lasting or other operationcan fully restore it .to its original shape. Moreover the last is always removed prior to the packing and shipment of the shoe and during such packing and shipment the shoe is frequently crushed and wrinkled so that when it arrives at its destination, for example, at theretail store, itno longer presents the attractive appearance orlginally tively maintained in its original lasted shape i.

throughout all of the various steps of manufacture and if desired up to the time of sale to the ultimate consumer, but without interfering. 4with the usual and essential steps in the process of manufacture; furthermore to make it unnecessary to re-last the shoe -after the pulling-over last is withdrawn, thus cutting the cost of manufacture by reducing the amount of labor required as well as avoiding danger of damage to the shoe and the necessity of stocking a large number of lasts; and to provide a process which facilitates handling of the unfinished shoe by making it much lighter in weight than usual, thus enabling the operatives to speed up production.

In the accompanying drawings, by way of example, I have shown the various steps of the improved process as applied to the manufacture of a shoe ofl the McKay type, but inits broader aspects the invention is not restricted to this particular type of foot wear. In the following description the term upper has been employed inla comprehensive sense as including not only the outer member, whether of thin leather, cloth, rubber or other material and the lining, together with such intermediate plumping,`re inforcing, and stifening' elements as are commonly employed, but also in some cases at least as including the welt, if suchbe used, or other adjunctive elements useful in attaching the sole or enhancing the appearance of the finished shoe.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hollow thin walled form useful in performing the process hereinafter described, the form being mountedv upon a shoe last of usual type and being partly broken away to reveal the last;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a later step in the process lwherein the upper has been lasted over the form and its edgesy have been secured to the insole by the usual lsting'tacks, part of the upper being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating a I later step in the process wherein the last has been withdrawn and the outer sole has been attached;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a later step of the operation, the shoe being substantially finished and ready for shipment;

Fig. 6 is a similar perspective illustrating a modification of the step shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the hollow form;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the hollow form; l

Fig. 9 is a transverse section substantially on the line 9 9 of Fig. 7

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form; and

Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of a further modified form.

Referring to the drawings wherein the process has been illustrated as applied particularly to the manufacture of a shoe-of the McKay type the numeral 1 indicates a shoe last of usual type, preferably provided with a metal bottom (not shown) and the numeral 2 indicates a hollow thin-walled form covering the outer surface of the last and following closely the contour of the latter.

In selecting a last for the desired purpose a last will ordinarily though not necessarily be chosen of substantially a half size less than that of the shoe to be manufactured. When the form 2 is applied to this last the thickness of the form is'such as to make-up for the deficiency in the vsize of the last, the outer surface of the form being a substantial replica of the outer surface of the last-but of a half size larger.

Thishollow form may be made of any suitable material having the desired characteristics of stiffness, resiliency, light in weight, cheapness, capability of withstanding variations in atmospheric humidity without substantially altering its shape, ability to withstand the moisture and chemicals in the leather without corrosion or discoloration and preferably capable of being molded readily to the desired shape and permanently retainin its shape after the molding process is comp eted.

'Certain .non-metallic materials appear best adapted' for the purpose, among those which meet the above requirements to a reasonable degree being Celluloid and bakelite, although I contemplate that other material may be found which will have all of the desired characteristics. Preferably the.

selected material in sheet form is molde-d to shape upon a last of the same design as that upon which the shoe is to be made so that the finishedl form will have the exact contour of the last.

' As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 this hollow form has the toe portion 3 and the heel portion 4, the latter comprising overlapping parts 5 and 6 which are not `connected .to each other so that they may, under outward stress, separate to a slight extent for a purpose herein to be described. For the same reason the forward part of the form is preferably provided with a longitudinal slit 7 extending from the point 8 near the top of the cone to the point 9 at the throat of the last. Preferably the slit ends at the point 9 in a circular opening or perforation which prevents the material from crackin terminal of the slit and thereby un uly exten-ding the length of the latter.

This hollow form as indicated at 2a` in Fig. 9 is freely open at its bottom so as to permit it readll to be slipped over the top of the last. T e open edge of this form from the heel portion to a point near the toe is adapted to project beyond the bottom of the last thus forming an upstanding ange 10 (Fig. 1) the width of which is substanltially equal to' the thickness -of the inner sole 11 which in Fig. 1 is shown as disposed upon the last bottom. This upstanding iiange 10 is cut away at the toe portion of the form as shown at 12 to facilitate withdrawal of the form from the finished shoe.

As above stated one of the first steps in the process of making shoes in accordance with the present invention consists in nounting the form 2 upon the last 1. The insole 12 is tacked to the bottom of the last either before or after the form 2=is applied. The kupper 13, comprising a lining 14 and such other elements as are usual, is now pulled over the form 2 upon the last 1 in accordance with any of the .usual lasting processes and its edges 15 are secured to the inner sole 11 by lasting tacks 16.

In making a McKay shoe the lasting tacks 16 are driven down snugly and their inner ends are clenchedfover at 17 against the iron last bottom. The last is now Withdrawn from the shoe, the form spreading at its heel and cone portions to permit withdrawal of the last and itself remaining in the shoe, and after suitable filling material 11a Fig. 4)i has been placed upon the bottom o the inner sole, an outer sole 18 is temporarily attached to the inner sole and upper by means of adhesive or metallic fasteners and then permanently secured by stitches 19 laid in a channel 20 in the outer sole.

These stitches are formed upon the McKay sewing machine and since the form 2 is still within the upper, the making of this sewed seam is greatly facilitated since the form serves as a guide for the horn of the machine and prevents the operator from running over the edge of the inner sole. Moreover the presence of the form prevents the operator from pulling the shoe in sewing it to such an extent as to destroy the shape.

produced in the lasting operation.

at the After the stitches 19 have been completed the heel seat may be nailed in the usual manner, the channel 20 is cemented and closed, the sole is levelled and the heel 2l is nailed in place. During all ot' these various operations the form 2 remains within the shoe and maintains the lasted shape of the upper. Since this form has no bottom it does not interfere in the least with the sole attaching or other operations relating to the shoe bottom, but nevertheless the form holds the upper in proper position and prevents undue shrinkage or wrinkling.

The shoe now undergoel the various operations involved in finishing, such for example as edge setting, buing and treeing, and finally arrives at the packing room. During all of the steps subsequent to lasting the stifener form is relied upon for holding the shoe in proper position so that re-last-ing with its attendant danger of damage is not necessary, while the absence of the usual solid and heavy last from the shoe so decreases its weightl that it may be handled with little effort and consequently less fatigue on the part of the operator which results in speeding up production and work of better quality. Moreover, since the lasts are employed only during the lasting operation a relatively small number of lasts need be provided as compared with the usual number necessary v in processes wherein a lastre-l mains in the shoe until the shoe is substantially complete.

Upon arrival of the shoe at the packing room the hollow form 2 may if desired be withdrawn as indicated in Fig. 5 and the shoe may be packed for shipment in the usual manner. Even though the form be withdrawn at this point the shape of the shoe is far superior to those produced by ordinary methods since its original lasted shape has been continuously maintained since the lasting operation, and when the shoe arrives at its ypoint of destination its appearance is found to be far superior to that of shoes as ordinarily manufactured even with the greatest of care.

In accordance with the preferred process the form 2 is not withdrawn from the shoe at the packing room but instead, those portions of the form which project from the top of the shoe are trimmed off flush with the u 2", Flg. 6, without withdrawing the form from the shoe. The shoe is now packed for shipment with the form within it and is delivered to the retail dealer in this condition. The form may be left within the shoe up to the point of its sale to the ultimate consumer and if withdrawn at this time may be delivered to such consumer for use as a shoe tree` for keeping the shoe in proper shape during intervals of wear.l Moreover these forms delivered in the shoes to the dealer .provide per edge of the shoe as indicated at.

convenient means for keeping the shoe inA plump condition during exhibition in windows and show cases. l

W'hile the process as above'describedrelates particularly to the manufacture of McKay shoes it is contemplated that various of its steps may be found useful in connection with the manufacture and sale of shoes of other types. Although in the Goodyear process the lasts need notnecessarily be withdrawn while the outer soles are being attached, it may be found advantageous -to withdraw the lasts immediately after the outer soles are sewed to the welts or possibly immediately after the welting operation, performing the remaining operations with the hollow form in place, thus saving investment of capital in lasts and facilitating the handling of the shoes during subsequent steps so that the process may be speeded up without increasing danger of damage to the shoes.

Moreover in making turn shoes, although the hollow form need not, unless desired, be placed upon the last during the lasting operation it may to great advantage be substituted for an ordinary last in the re-lasting operation which is necessary in making turn shoes. In this process the form must necessarily be introduced into the shoe after turning and for this purpose a form of this type shown in either of Figs. 10 or l1 may if desired be employed. The form 22 shown in Fig. l0 has an uninterrupted lower edge 23 extending from the toe to the heel and may readily beslipped into the turned shoe after the turning operation and left in the shoe throughout the remainder of the process.

In Fi 11 a modified form 24 is shown having t e inturned flange 25 at its fore part and the bridge piece 26 extending across its fore part to add further stii'ness. While this type of form is not well adapted for use in making McKay shoes according to the above process, except as a re-lasting form, it may be usedv to advantage in any of the usual processes for the latter purpose, or it may be used as a shoe tree for keeping aV shoe in proper shape between intervals of wear or while on exhibition.

While for the latter use it is not necessary that the form have the overlapping unconnected portions 5 and 6 at its heel and the slit y7 at its fore part vthese features are quite desirable in forms which are toube used during the process of manufacture, since they permit the upper part of the form to spread to the necessary extent to permit withdrawal of the last without binding or danger of splitting the form.

Although the form is capable of yielding to permit withdrawal of the last it is nevertheless extremely resistant to inward Crushing particularly at .its lower parts, where, although the form may have very thin walls,

its curved contour' provides an arching effect which offers great resistance to any lnward bending or distortion.

While the form as disclosed is particularly well suited for carrying out the steps of the above described process I contemplate that other means may be designed for holding the upper of the shoe in proper position during the process of manufacture while at the same time permit-ting thepermanent withdrawal of the last immediately after the lasting operation and in the accompanying claims I have not limited myself to the em ploylnent of this particular type of form as the means for maintaining the shape of the shoe after withdrawal of the last.

I claim:

l. That process of preparing shoes for market which comprises. as steps fitting a shoe last. of usual type into a thin walled form open at top and bottom and substantially covering the heel and cone portions of the last, lasting a shoe over said form, withdrawing the last leaving the form within the shoe, and completing the shoe upon the form alone, the form functioning in substantially the same way as would a solid last of usual type to hold the upper of the shoe in distended condition during its completion.

2. That process of preparing shoes for market which comprises as steps fitting a shoe last of substantially usual type into a hollow thin walled form adapted'to envelop substantially the entire lateral surface of the last but open at top and bottom, lasting the shoe about said hollow form, withdrawing the last leaving the form' within the shoe, completing the shoe and trimming off the upper'part of the form substantially flush with the upper edge of the finished shoe. 3. That' process of preparing y shoes for market which comprises applying a stiff. I non-metallic thin walled hollow form openk at top and bottom to a shoe last of substantially usual type, lasting the shoe about said hollow form, withdrawing the last leaving the form within the shoe, completing the Vshoe and trimming off the upper edge of the form substantially flush with the upper edge of the finished shoe, and packing the shoe withv theform therein for shipment.

Signed by meat Auburn, New York this 12th day of June,1925.

WILLIAM J, DE WITT. 

